A highway near Hyderabad was dug up in search of a Shiva Linga on Monday, after a man from Telangana claimed that the god Shiva had appeared in his dream and told him that there was a Shiva Linga in the area that must be excavated, said reports in the The Hindu and NDTV.
Thirty-year-old Lakhan Manoj from Gundlagadda in Jangaon of Telangana claimed that there was a Shiva Linga on the highway near Pembarthy village in Telangana. He insisted that after “excavating” it, a temple must be constructed on the land, reported The Hindu.
The sarpanch of Jangaon Balne Siddu Lingam and municipal vice-chairman also believed Manoj. “Manoj is an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva and has been getting this dream since three years,” he said. “He used to conduct prayers at this location every Monday. As Manoj swooned in excitement at this spot we believed him,” The Hindu quoted him as saying.
Manoj had been trying to garner support for his project for three years, and intended to find the Linga on Shivratri. Every time he visited the spot, he would go into a trance, rolling around and shaking uncontrollably, said NDTV.
After hiring a road mover, Manoj started digging near Jangaon on Monday, which is about 80 kilometres from Hyderabad. This led to traffic jams at least a kilometre long on both sides of the Hyderabad-Warangal highway, as JCB excavator machines dug up a 15 feet by 8 feet hole in the middle of the highway.
Though the Shiva Linga was meant to be found at a depth of 10 feet, the excavators could find nothing even after digging 15 feet underground. This frustrated a local policeman, reported NDTV. “First he said 10 feet. They dug over 15 feet. Now he says 2 more feet. At this rate, we will have a well in the middle of the road,’’ he said. However, The Hindu reported that the excavation had continued to a depth of 20 feet underground.
With traffic jams worsening on both sides of the highway, police arrested Manoj and the persons who helped him.
A police officer then visited the site and got the pit covered. He said an investigation was underway into the incident. Manoj and other accused were booked for damaging public property, reported India Today.
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